


nail polish

by DietrichTheDestroyer



Series: Luke's Guide to Beauty [1]
Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Gen, also theyre both autistic, but then it got sad, is was supposed to be just fluff, just paint each others nails, they literally
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-15 11:41:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5784055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DietrichTheDestroyer/pseuds/DietrichTheDestroyer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>the tags. say it all.</p><p>its a fic of two guys painting each others nails<br/>what more. could you want.</p>
            </blockquote>





	nail polish

**Author's Note:**

> [fluff](http://dealbreaker.com/uploads/2013/06/marshmallow-fluff.jpg)  
>  but also [sad](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2221280489/20120515-142402-001.jpg)

"Luke, could you prepare us some tea. I am having an awfully hard time concentrating."

"Er, sure Professor. Right away!" Luke sits up from his position on the couch and bounces over to the kitchen, leaving a book open, cover up. Hershel can hear cabinets being opened and cup clinking together as they are moved about. He hasn’t been able to focus on his work for the past hour, rereading the same page and staring off into space. Receiving that letter from Clark recently most certainly hasn’t helped either.

He supposes he should’ve asked Luke earlier.

"Here you are Professor," Luke gently sets down a cup of hot tea. "The teapot is still on the stove if you would like more." As Luke puts his hand back as his side, Hershel barely catches a flash of colour.

"Luke, my boy, may I see your hand?" Luke flusters instantly and slowly brings his hand back up, shaking. "I-I’m sorry, Professa’ I j-just–"

"Sorry for what?" Hershel inquires, inspecting Luke’s nails. They are longer then he expected and all a pale blue. All of them are even and it really is _fascinating._ He’s never been able keep his nails in such good condition. Too much field work, he guesses.

"Y-you’re not... mad?" Luke looks surprised, like he has been waiting for this occur and didn’t expect a positive outcome.

"No, of course not. What made you think I would be?" Hershel’s still holding Luke’s hand. Rubbing circles on it, he notices that it’s very soft, the only rough part being a callous on the left side of his ring finger. _From writing._

"O-oh I just thought that -ah- maybe you wouldn’t think it was gentlemanly... or somethin’," Luke’s voice gets quieter as he trails off towards the end.

"Luke, everyone needs a good manicure once in a while. Here–" He stands up, "Follow me." Hershel notices Luke looking at his unorganized desk with a sense of guilt, "Do not worry, my boy, I wasn’t getting work done anyway."

Hershel leads Luke silently to the bathroom. He kneels down to open one of the cabinets. There are two wooden boxes, both representing something of a tea caddy. Hershel takes one out and sets it on the floor. Opening the box, there’s various colours of nail polish along with the necessities: nail polish remover, nail clippers, and files.

"What’s in the other caddy?"

"Cosmetics."

Luke’s eyes widen, "I didn’t know you had all this, Professor!"

"Well, I haven’t needed a pick me up is quite some time." He pauses, looking at Luke, "You haven’t had to go back home for a while either."

"O- _oh._ " Luke suddenly goes silent, a sullen look on his face.

"It’s quite alright, my boy. Now, would you like new paint or just something painted over the blue to have as a background?"

"I like this colour very much, so the second one please."

"Of course. Would you like flowers?"

"Sure."

Hershel quickly sets out on painting small daisies on each finger, sneaking a cat on one thumbnail and a dog on the other. Luke is too distracted by the soft shower mat underneath him to notice when Hershel is finished. When the boy doesn’t respond after what seems to be too long, Hershel brings him out of his trance, "Do you like them?"

Luke suddenly jerks his eyes to Hershel, then to his nails. He gasps.

"Oh I love them!" He looks over to the nails of the professor. "Do you want your nails painted, too, Professor?"

"Hm." Hershel says, looking down at his own nails, "Only if you don’t mind."

Luke is able to start next to immediately, due to Hershel only owning the polish that dries quickly. He starts with a black base on every nail, then painting gold, silver, and bronze jigsaw pieces. Hershel watches very carefully, still not quite believing this is happening. This action, of painting his nails, has always been paired with negativity, with loneliness, that sharing this moment with Luke is so irregular, and Hershel honestly doesn’t know how to feel about it.

Is it selfish of him, wanting this action to only be paired with loneliness, and nothing positive? Because having that positivity will only make the negativity worsen, and he’s not sure he’ll be able to deal with that when Luke has to leave again.

"Professa’? Are you alright? You’re-you’re cryin’ Professa’!" Luke has finished painting his nails, and had a worried expression across his face. Hershel lightly touches his cheek with the back of his hand.

"I suppose I am. Don’t worry Luke, it’s just a bad day after all." He puts away the polish in the caddy, and places it back into the cabinet. "We’ll do this again, but not too often or else it won’t be as special."

"Of course." Luke watches Hershel as he hurries to his room, and once the door is shut, he just stares at the daisies across his fingernails, longing to be in a patch of them.

**Author's Note:**

> ~~layton runs and hides in his closet in the corner with all the heavy coats and outerwear to relax~~
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> layton buys the fast drying nail polish because he is Impatient™  
> he also has daisies in his garden and they are luke's Favourite™


End file.
